I recently took my father to get new hearing aids. The experience started me thinking about our ability to listen and hear what is being said.
The process of fitting hearing aids is quite complicated. Hearing aids, the audiologist told us, are little computers with software pre-installed. She took about 45 minutes to set up the software and train my father (and me) on how to use them. There are program modes (telephone, noisy crowds, etc) and volume controls and batteries (which need to be changed every 5 to 7 days; we should all be so lucky as to represent the battery manufacturer!) and accessories for cleaning and storing. Not very complicated for us youngsters, but when you're 94, it's a lot to learn. Add to that, being legally blind and it's another whole kettle of fish.
During the training the audiologist told us that the hearing aids will not completely restore my father's hearing to 100%, but are a tool or aid to improve his hearing.
On the way home, I laughingly told my father that he wasn't going to have an excuse to not hear me anymore - you know "selective" hearing. We're all guilty of this at some time or another. Parents filter out their children's noise; husbands filter out their wives and children's noise; we all filter out background noises we become accustom to. An example is the country person who goes to visit their city cousin and can't sleep at night because of all the noise (sirens, cars, people on the streets, bells, etc) that the city person doesn't even hear anymore.
The important question in all of this is - are we transferring our ability to tune out extraneous noises to important conversations, in our personal lives as well as our business lives? With all of the distractions in our busy lives today, we may need to re-think our ability to listen and really hear what is being said.
The process of fitting hearing aids is quite complicated. Hearing aids, the audiologist told us, are little computers with software pre-installed. She took about 45 minutes to set up the software and train my father (and me) on how to use them. There are program modes (telephone, noisy crowds, etc) and volume controls and batteries (which need to be changed every 5 to 7 days; we should all be so lucky as to represent the battery manufacturer!) and accessories for cleaning and storing. Not very complicated for us youngsters, but when you're 94, it's a lot to learn. Add to that, being legally blind and it's another whole kettle of fish.
During the training the audiologist told us that the hearing aids will not completely restore my father's hearing to 100%, but are a tool or aid to improve his hearing.
On the way home, I laughingly told my father that he wasn't going to have an excuse to not hear me anymore - you know "selective" hearing. We're all guilty of this at some time or another. Parents filter out their children's noise; husbands filter out their wives and children's noise; we all filter out background noises we become accustom to. An example is the country person who goes to visit their city cousin and can't sleep at night because of all the noise (sirens, cars, people on the streets, bells, etc) that the city person doesn't even hear anymore.
The important question in all of this is - are we transferring our ability to tune out extraneous noises to important conversations, in our personal lives as well as our business lives? With all of the distractions in our busy lives today, we may need to re-think our ability to listen and really hear what is being said.
All of this, made me remember the very first class I attended when I started CPMR 101 at Indiana University back in 1991. This was the first year CPMR was open to all rep industries and the class had over 80 people (78 men and 2 women - yes me and 1 other gal in the office products industry). The professor wanted to demonstrate a point and asked for 1 guy and 1 gal to come up to the front of the classroom. Even though I was in the back of the class and working hard at being inconspicuous, he spotted me and asked me to join him up front. I nervously walked to the head of the class, where he told the 2 of us he was going to tell us a story and when he was done, he wanted us to repeat it to him. I asked him, before he started the story, if I could take notes or ask him to repeat himself, so I could get the story straight when I was asked to repeat it. He laughed and said no to all of the above and I told him I had a lousy memory and not to expect too much. In the end, he told the class that what I wanted to do was the correct thing - use "aids" in order to hear better. Phew! A lesson I have never forgotten.
During the class he related stories - some funny and some tragic - of what can go wrong when we don't listen and hear. Not surprisingly, he also provided us with suggestions and methods for improving our hearing.
If you want to learn more please read my next post "Listening Skills 101".
And don't forget, we all need to use hearing "aids" at one time or another. The key is to know when.
During the class he related stories - some funny and some tragic - of what can go wrong when we don't listen and hear. Not surprisingly, he also provided us with suggestions and methods for improving our hearing.
If you want to learn more please read my next post "Listening Skills 101".
And don't forget, we all need to use hearing "aids" at one time or another. The key is to know when.